Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936)

A crusading newspaper editor recruits his old friend Hoppy to take the job of Marshall in a town rife with vice and murder directed at helpless miners.

Director:

Nate Watt

Writers:

Harrison Jacobs (screenplay), Clarence E. Mulford (story)

Stars:

William Boyd, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Gail Sheridan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Boyd	...	Hopalong Cassidy
George 'Gabby' Hayes	...	Windy Halliday (as George Hayes)
Gail Sheridan	...	Mary Saunders
Evelyn Brent	...	Lilli Marsh
Morris Ankrum	...	Blackie Felton (as Stephen Morris)
William Janney	...	Buddy Cassidy
Irving Bacon	...	Peg Leg Holden
Grant Richards	...	Bob Claiborne
John Beck	...	Editor Bob Saunders
Al St. John	...	Did not appear (credit only)
Ernie Adams	...	Assayer Tim Benson
Joe Rickson	...	Henchman Buck
Ray Whitley	...	Rancher Davis
Claude Smith	...	Henchman Dugan

Storyline

When a miner is murdered before he can file his claim, Editor Saunders sends for Hoppy. Now the new Marshal, Hoppy learns Lilli Marsh owns the murdered miner's claim and her henchman Blackie was the killer. After Hoppy and the ranchers take care of Blackie's gang, Hoppy goes alone to face Blackie and Lilli.

---

Plot Keywords:

editor | newspaper | wheelchair | hopalong cassidy | murder | 

---

Taglines:

She was more ruthless than any man...and more dangerous!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance | Western

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aufruhr in Mesa Grande

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Sherman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Ray Whitley.

---

Goofs

At the beginning of the film when Peg Leg arrives in town, in a couple of the shots Irving Bacon's right foot is clearly visible behind him, indicating that the bottom half of his right leg has been strapped behind him.

---

Quotes

Saloon Hostess: [referring to Lilli interacting with Cassidy] Say, look at Lilli! She don't know whether to kiss the new marshall or kill 'em!
Saloon girl: [with a sigh] I wish I had my chance!

---

Connections

Followed by Hills of Old Wyoming (1937)

---

Soundtracks

"Camptown Races"
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Foster (as Stephen Collins Foster)
Played in the Crystal Slipper saloon

User Reviews

Very Similar To Destry Rides Again

Hopalong Cassidy Returns has two unusual attributes for the series. For the one and only time in the series Hoppy had a younger brother as a sidekick played by William Janney. And for the one and only time Hoppy had a love interest. In this case, in spite of himself.

After prospector Irving Bacon and city editor of the town newspaper John Beck are killed, Gabby Hayes who's visiting the town of Mesa Grande sends for his old pal Hopalong Cassidy. Lawlessness has gotten completely out of hand in this city and its up to the cowboy hero to set things right.

On the way into town Hoppy saves the life of Evelyn Brent who's been thrown from her horse. The next time he meets her he finds she's the owner of the town saloon and the boss of a gang of outlaws who's been robbing and killing the prospectors in the vicinity. She's got a couple of nasty henchmen in Grant Richards and Morris Ankrum.

Hoppy's got three problems to deal with, his kid brother Janney is wanting to sow some wild oats, but there's a good girl in town played by Gail Sheridan who might be the answer there. There's the problem of lawlessness and the romantic problem with Evelyn Brent.

More her problem than is because she's in a quandary. Her brains say one thing, but her hormones say something else about William Boyd.

There's more than a passing resemblance to the plot of Destry Rides Again in Hopalong Cassidy Returns. The screen credits for this film say it is based on one of Hoppy creator Clarence Mulford's stories. The original novel that Destry Rides Again was written by Max Brand, so it's anybody's guess who might have copied from who, consciously or unconsciously.

If you've seen the James Stewart-Marlene Dietrich classic you know how Hopalong Cassidy Returns will end. Still it's an unusual entry in the series and not a bad one.